Chapter 22
“What did he just say?” Greg asked in a panic as he came galloping out of the tent, Pinkie rushing after him.
“Come on, Jero,” Lance said as he lifted him up. “Wake up!”
Jero just groaned, but did not fully wake up. Then, a glow started to emanate from his body. It started out dull, but slowly ramped up till it was hard to look at him. His body then raised into the air, the golden glow casting light all around himself as he began to raise higher and higher.
“What the fuck?!” Grace asked in shock as the group watched him raise, the golden light only growing brighter and brighter.
He then flared all his appendages wide as he became as bright as the sun for a moment. Then, all the light seemed to suck right back into his body, and he slowly lowered to the ground.
Everyone looked on in shock as he lay there in his human form, they were even more shocked when a weapon similar to Omnius’s appeared in his right hand.
“Okay,” Greg began, breaking the silence as the crowd around them stared at the odd scene. “I’m high as fuck, but that really just happened, right?”
ooo000<^>000ooo
Jero sat up, groaning loudly as he rubbed his head. It took a moment, the scenes from before came rushing back, causing him to start to hyperventilate.
“Whoa, calm down!” Calypso said as she held him down with a hoof. “Everything is okay, you’re safe.”
“But we’re not safe!” He yelled, getting the attention of the others as they all ran over.
It was then he noticed he was sitting on a bench inside a large pavilion.
“Jero, what happened? You mentioned Omnius and Lorenzo!” Lance asked as he ran to his side.
“Fuck that! Why do you have Omnius’s sword?!” Grace asked, looking at the weapon still in his hand.
Jero raised it, eyes wide. “Oh boy… that’s what he meant when he said the ritual was important.”
“Man, you need to explain what happened,” Lance pushed, looking annoyed.
With a sigh, he turned to face his friends. “The Watcher found us first, and sent Lorenzo. Omnius fought him while I got our friends and family to a safe place. But Omnius gave his life to get me out of there.”
“But Omnius can’t die, that’s his whole thing!” Lance yelled, looking more upset than Jero had ever seen him before. “Omnius has said a million times that nothing can kill him!”
Then Lance’s face twisted into a look of horror as Eclipse informed him of something.
“Except,” Lance began, shoulders slumping. “Being killed by an Ego weapon is not the same as dying any other way. It takes your soul and twists it, repurposing it to use you as a way to increase its own powers.”
“What are we going to do now?” Greg asked with a frown. “Omnius was going to be our Ace. We can’t do this without him!”
“We’ll make due,” Lance said in a calm, cold voice. “Now tell me, Jero, what was with the golden lights that lifted you into the air?”
Jero blinked at him, looking just as confused as they were. “I’m not really sure. Omnius had given me a list of responsibilities if the Watcher found us. One of them was completing a ritual. He made it very clear that only I could be the one to do the ritual, but he never told me what it’d do. Just that I was his chosen one.”
“Wait wait wait,” Greg said, taking a hit of his blunt, seeming to inhale the entire thing in one large intake. He let the smoke explode out of his mouth and nose as he spoke, “Did he make you do the Gods of Good’s Traveler’s transfer ritual?!”
“The what?!” Jero and the others all asked at once, causing Greg to look a bit taken back.
“Oh, I got high with him a few nights before coming here. He told me that he has a failsafe that if he ever dies, his powers would be transferred to the next worthy person. I’m guessing he thought Jero was fitting for that.” He then crossed his hooves, “Not like I wanted to be a cool Traveler dude.”
“Damn it, Omnius,” Lance said, facehoofing. “You’ve fucked us here.”
Vinetion just shook her head.
“Jero is the Traveler now?” Grace asked, raising an eyebrow. “Not to be a bitch, but Jero you’re the worst choice for the Traveler. Someone like me, Lance, or Vinetion would of been a better choice.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jero said, lowering his head.
“Hey! Shut up, mean ass!” Pinkie Pie yelled as she jumped up on the table next to Jero, staring down everyone else. “Omnius was super smart! And the nicest, bestest, greatest guy we all ever knew! If he thinks Jero was the right choice, then he IS the right choice!”
Greg jumped up on the other side of Jero, glaring down at his friends, “You three have always been very full of yourselves! Big fucking assholes! Just because Jero doesn’t have powers, or is okay killing others, doesn’t mean he’s the wrong choice! This fucker is a better person than all three of you combined! Hell, I think he’s the only truly good member of our little family!”
“Exactly!” Pinkie yelled. “You all should be ashamed of yourselves with how you’ve acted!”
The three in question stared back, looking unsure of how to react to the sudden outburst.
“I think we all just need to take a step back,” Lance said slowly. “Jero, I’m sorry. I’m sure Omnius knew what he was doing.”
“I guess since he was so smart,” Grace mumbled, rolling her eyes.
“Honestly, I’m sorry,” Vinetion said, bowing her head. “You two are right. Jero, you are the perfect choice for the Traveler role.”
“Ugh,” Grace said, seeming unhappy with everything.
“Thank you, guys,” Jero said, looking between Greg and Pinkie.
“No problem, bro!” Greg said, turning to him and smiling, “Now show us some of those bad ass Traveler powers!”
Jero stared back, then smiled sheepishly. “Eh… I actually have no idea how to do… anything! I didn't get a manual.”
“Swap forms?” He asked, but got a shake of Jero’s head as a response. “Well shit… now what?”
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“The main thing to remember,” Reinhardt began as the guards entered the cell block, grabbing those who were fighting. “In the early rounds, it's okay to take it easy. No need to go all out at the start.
“You three,” a guard said, pointing at myself, Reinhardt, and Remi, “Come this way.”
Without a word of protest, the three of us followed the guard as we and others were led towards the arena.
“They will call out the contestant names for each bout. This will take a long time, so just sit back and enjoy the show,” Reinhardt said as she leaned down to me as we walked.
We were led into the cages surrounding the arena, the crowd outside the gates already being hyped up by the announcer.
On the wall of the cage was a large image of the tournament brackets. It didn’t take long for me to find myself and the others among the many names. It looked like I was in the mid brackets, so it could be a bit before I’m out there for my bout.
I’d be facing someone named ‘Gimpy’.
“Oh, you’re up against the freak? Have fun,” Reinhardt chuckled, followed by Remi shaking her head, writing ‘Gimpy is weird’.
“Good to know,” I say, flexing my wings as I began to stretch.
They began to call out others for their matches one after the other. Most bouts seemed to last only a few seconds, as the match ups were a bit unfair.
Then Reinhardt’s came up. She slammed her fist together, smirking as she stepped out to a roaring crowd and a flattering introduction by the announcer. She was a clear favorite of both the crowd and announcer.
Her opponent seemed strong, butt as he ran for a weapon on the wall, she simple dashed for him and began to go berserk on the poor guy. It didn’t take her long to beat him into submission, the crowd screaming her name as she stood above him, hands up as she took in the praise.
As she walked back into the standby cages, she gave me a smirk. “Beat that, Scamp. Bare hands.”
I just laughed as she wiped some of the blood off her gauntlets on a large creature near her, getting an angry grunt from it.
A few more bouts took place before my name was finally called.
“Go turn Gimpy into Limpy,” Reinhart jokes, slugging my shoulder as I walk by.
“Next up is the little horse from the mystical forest! You love her, you hate her, Stumpy!”
I frown a bit as I walk to the middle of the arena, the crowd a mixture of cheers and boos.
“Her opponent is the fiendish, crude beast! You saw him dominate Blaze last week, will he do the same today?! It’s Gimpy the manticore!”
From a different gate stepped out a strange creature in a gimp suit, black leather covering his body and tails. He unzipped the zipper over his mouth, a wide toothy smile gleamed across the arena at me.
Ah, gimpy like gimp… I thought it meant he had a limp or something.
“I’m going to break you,” he called to me, smiling as he began to advance.
I can take him.
I flip around and fly towards the wall, the gimp not far behind me. He roared in excitement.
My eyes scanned the wall, looking for a weapon I could use. But not a single one on this stretch of the wall was usable by me. All either too big or oddly shaped.
Ah shit.
Spinning around, I dodged to the left just as the manticore’s tails shot for me. I weaved in and out of the sharp tails, much to his frustration.
“Stand still!” he yelled, his bladed tail getting a little too close for comfort a few times.
“Look at those skills! But how long can she keep it up!?” the announcer yelled in excitement.
The blade tipped tail suddenly whipped to the side and came from my left.
Barely turning my head fast enough, I block the attack with my prosthetic leg, the blade penetrating through it with ease. Luckily, it was enough to stop the attack, but now I was stuck on his tail.
“Perfect!” he yelled as he yanked his tail straight up, carrying me with it. With a whoosh, he swung me through the air and slammed me into the ground. Not giving me time to recover, he began to thrash me around, hitting both the ground and the weapon covered wall.
I grunted loudly as I hit the hard surfaces, trying as hard as I could to try and get my leg unstuck from his bladed tail.
“Stop fighting and go limp!” he roared, throwing me around more roughly and frantically.
Finally, with a groan of metal on metal, I came free of the blade and was sent flying away. Using my wings, I was able to save myself from hitting the ground again.
Sliding to a stop, sending dirt flying everywhere, I flare my wings. Gimpy was sprinting towards me, eyes ablaze with anger.
Glancing to the wall, I eye a certain item, a smirk appearing on my face.
“Just roll over for me!” he yelled as he neared me, his tails stretching out behind him as he prepared to attack.
Using my wing to snatch the item from the wall, he reached me. I didn’t run or move as he slammed into me, sending me to my back.
He slammed down over me, eyes crazy. “Gotcha now!”
“You got me,” I deadpan as I twist, slamming the item in my wings grip into his chest. He blinked as he looked down to see the knife sticking out of his barreled chest, then started to laugh loudly.
“That was your plan?! That blade wasn’t large enough to reach my heart!” he laughed, his bladed tails slowly coming over his back, coming towards me.
“I know,” I responded as I pressed a button on the knife. A loud hiss was heard as he straightened up, a weird look on his face.
“What the…” he stumbled back, starting to become pale.
“Injection knife,” I say as I slowly stand up, dusting myself off. “Bet that pocket of air inside you feels amazing.”
He coughed as he ripped the knife from his chest, then went down to his knees.
Not taking a chance, I grabbed another bladed weapon from the wall in my mouth and jumped onto Gimpy. With a hard twist of my neck, I slammed the blade into his eye. He roared in pain as I jumped back, slamming a back hoof into the hilt to send it deeper into his head.
As I landed, he slammed into the ground, twitching.
“Unbelievable!” the announcer screamed. “Stumpy has defeated Gimpy! She advances!”
I walked back to the standby cage, confidence in my step as the crowd cheered. I didn’t enjoy this, but apparences were everything in this place apparently.
“I thought he had you for a second there,” Reinhardt chuckled as I stepped in with her and Remi.
“Oh, he was tough. But the right weapon for the job just happened to be there,” I say as I examine the damage on my prosthetic. Doc is going to love that. “But I could have taken him regardless, I just wouldn’t have come out unhurt.”
Remi suddenly hugged me, lifting me high into the air. She held her chalkboard up with her tail. ‘You scared me!’
“Eh, sorry about that,” I say as she twirls us around and sets me back down on the ground.
She then saluted me as her name was called. Like a ferret, she slithered out the door to the roars of many.
“That Nuble sure is attached to you,” Reinhardt commented, watching Remi dance around the arena as the announcer spoke about her.
“I don’t get it, honestly,” I say, shrugging. I then smirk at her, “I could honestly say the same about you. Miss Orc.”
Reinhardt just rolls her eyes, “You defeated me, then saved me. Not to mention how you handled yourself in the preliminaries.”
I just shrugged at this, as it at least made sense.
Remi sprinted back to us, covered in fresh gore. She had a wide smile on her face as she raised her chalkboard. ‘I won.’.
Reinhardt and I just laughed at the sight.
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“I seriously needed this,” I say aloud as I sit down and begin to stuff food into my mouth. The others watched me messily devour the pile of food.
“I’m still shocked at how she eats food,” Drake said, eating his food with much more grace than me.
“It’s bold!” Reinhardt said loudly as she slammed down next to me, a plate of meat before her. She begins to audibly eat her food, making just as much noise as me.
The two of us slammed hoof to fist as we ate.
“I heard you killed Gimpy,” Moxxi said with a wide smile. At my nod, she snorted and laughed. “Good! That guy was a creep!”
“Should have seen her in the act, got him thinking he won, then murdered his ass,” Reinhardt chuckled, slapping me on the back.
“Mhm,” I grunted, food in my mouth.
We all ate in silence for a few moments before Reinhardt broke the silence, “I gotta know.” She looked at Beans, “You’re a large bug, got a lover?”
Beans looked at her and cocked his head, making clicking sounds, “That’s a personal question.”
“Yes it is!” she laughed.
“Come on, Beanie, I’ve wondered the same thing,” Moxxi said as she slapped his side.
“Once,” he said simply. “But our species only mates once, then the female kills the male.”
“That’s my kinda relationship,” Reinhardt said as she took a bloody bite of meat.
“So, you two chose true love and never banged?” Moxxi asked.
He chuckled lightly, “No, we made love. But I defended myself on instinct. I’m not a very good Mantis.”
“This is why I like you, Beans,” Moxxi laughed loudly. “Never change.”
“What of you, Mox?” he asked in turn, getting a smirk in return.
“You ever seen goblin men? Once you experience other races, they lose all their appeal,” she twirled her fork as she grinned back at everyone. “But to answer your question; Yes, I had a lover. But they died, as lovers tend to do.”
“Drake?” Beans asked, everyone looking at him.
“Me?” He asked, placing a hand to his heart. “Not a single soul has been able to tame this dark heart. I have searched the Plains, but not a one has been worthy. I have…”
“Long story short, no,” Moxxi finished for him, getting a pout from him.
He crossed his arms, looking away defiantly, “I had a monologue for that.”
Moxxi waved him off, “No one cares to hear it.” Then she looked at Doc. “You?”
He sighed and smiled, “I do. A wife and kids. Four kids.”
“Oh you’re a family man,” Reinhardt observed. “I didn’t expect that to be honest.”
“I haven’t seen them for a long time. She took them and left me back before I became a healer,” he replied, picking at his food.
“Oh, you were a family man,” she said bluntly, getting a frown from the others. She just shrugged.
“Okay, Miss Badass, what of you?” Moxxi asked, leaning on the table.
“Nope, no time for relationships. They get in the way of killing, clouds the mind,” she replied simply as she continued to eat.
Remi, without being asked, held up her chalkboard for everyone. ‘Nuble males are gross. All people are bad. No relationship for me.’
“You got that right, sister!” Moxxi laughed, nodding in agreement.
“Scamp?” Beans asked, all eyes falling on me. I stopped eating, looking up as food fell off of my face.
Swallowing the food in my mouth, I shrug. “I kinda did have someone I could of called a lover, but he’s dead now. He was my team leader, so it made it hard for the two of us to do anything other than keep it professional.” I stare at my food for a moment, thinking of the past. “Sometimes I wish we’d just said screw it and got together.”
“So, we all are either single, or have dead lovers,” Moxxi said, chuckling. “Yeah, we’re a happy group alright.”
Slowly, I begin to eat again, my mind replaying memories.
I wish Ayla was here right now, it’d be nice to talk with her about some of this.